Pitt women's soccer makes history

When the Pitt women’s soccer team beat No. 3 North Carolina in the first round of the 2023 Ally ACC Women’s Soccer Championship Sunday night, it truly was the biggest win in program history.

And that’s not hyperbole.

The Panthers entered the match as the No. 5 seed in the bracket, and while the Tar Heels were the No. 4 seed, they came in ranked No. 3 in the nation. UNC was undefeated this season, posting a 10-0-8 record, having beaten No. 10 Arkansas, No. 13 South Carolina and No. 22 USC, posting ties with six other top-25 teams, including No. 1 Florida State.

The Tar Heels were one of two ACC teams to post undefeated conference records - the Seminoles were the other - and they finished one point ahead of Pitt in the final regular-season standings.

Pitt, on the other hand, entered the conference championship bracket with a 1-3-1 record against top-25 opponents. The Panthers were ranked No. 20.

And what’s more, they had never beaten North Carolina, having lost seven in a row dating back to the Panthers’ first year in the ACC in 2013.

But after holding an edge in shots, shots on goal and corner kicks in the first half, Pitt finally struck in the 72nd minute when Landy Mertz set up Ellie Coffield for a header that broke the 0-0 stalemate.

Seconds later, UNC tied the score with a goal by Ally Senator and the two teams stayed deadlocked as they headed into overtime, but near the end of the first extra period, Amanda West scored the game-winner on assists from Mertz and Sarah Schupansky.

Pitt held on through the second overtime period to secure the first ACC championship bracket win in program history.

Now the Panthers will face Florida State, the No. 1 team in the ACC Tournament and the No. 1 team in the nation. Pitt lost to the Seminoles two weeks ago in a 3-2 defeat in Tallahassee, but the Panthers will go into Thursday’s primetime match with momentum.

They have now defeated multiple ranked teams in back-to-back seasons, having won two such matches in 2022 and two this year. Those four victories make up half of the Panthers’ eight all-time wins over ranked opponents.

With the win over UNC, Pitt’s season record improved to 14-4-1, tying the school record for wins in a season - a high-water mark that was set last season and could be topped when the Panthers face FSU on Thursday.

That match will start at 8 pm and will be televised on the ACC Network. The winner will face the winner of Thursday’s early match between No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 3 Clemson in the championship game on Sunday at noon.